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Fundamental Learnings


League: T-Ball

 

Mechanics / Physical

Tactics / Mental

 

Hitting

  • Where to stand
  • Address plate
  • Basic stance
  • Proper grip
  • Make contact
  • Drop bat at plate
  • Batting order
  • Always your best swing

 

Fielding

  • Learn (and stay in) the positions
  • Catch ground ball
  • Catch fly ball
  • Catch thrown ball
  • Glove up or glove down
  • Open glove
  • Catch in pocket
  • Two hands
  • Get in front of ball
  • Glove down on ground
  • Hands in front of body
  • Triangle
  • Alligator hands
  • Angle of glove
  • Keep head down
  • See ball in glove
  • Hop and pop

 

  • Positions and placement
  • Three outs
  • Get an out
  • Make the easy play
  • Force outs
  • Ready position in field

 

Throwing

  • Basic throwing
  • Grip on ball
  • Stride
  • Use of body
  • Warming up

 

Pitching

 

 

 

 

Baserunning

  • Drop bat, get out of batters box
  • Sliding – feet first all the time

 

  • Players control this aspect of the game
  • Always hustle – game of inches
  • Run through first
  • Force play
  • Don’t watch the ball
  • Ready position on the bases
  • Tagging up

Other

 

 

  • Respect the game
  • Run on and off the field
  • No arguing with umpires, opponents, or teammates

League: Coach Pitch/ Machine pitch

All items from previous leagues plus:

 

Mechanics / Physical

Tactics / Mental

 

Hitting

  • Keep head still
  • Hips rotate
  • Timing of swing
  • Make contact
  • Think swing
  • Know the strike zone
  • Plate coverage
  • Always Your Best Swing
  • Think swing
  • Know the strike zone
  • Plate coverage Nothing wrong with striking out

Fielding

  • Grounders
  • Fly balls
  • Footwork around base
  • Infield play:
    • Grounders
    • Pop ups
    • Covering bases
    • Making tag
  • Angle of glove
  • Type of glove
  • When to bare-hand a ball
  • When to one-hand a ball
  • Outfield play:
    • Fly balls
    • Grounders
    • Call the ball
    • Throw to right base
  • Block the sun
  • Crow hop
  • Catchers:
    • Receive the ball
    • Set up behind plate
  • How far back to sit behind catcher
  • Must start down to come up (not start up to do down)
  • Anticipate, don’t react
  • Back up bases

 

  • Know where to throw the ball when it is hit to you, before it is hit to you
  • What base should outfielders throw to?
  • Catchers:
    • Wear a cup
    • Skills and attitude needed
  • Keep eyes open

Throwing

  • Accuracy
  • Infield throws
  • Strength
  • Outfield throws
    • Crow hop
    • Hit cutoff

 

 

Pitching

 

 

 

 

Baserunning

  • Step on front of first base
  • Lean forward

 

 

  • Assume defense will bobble or miss ball
  • Run hard if ground ball or fly ball
  • Straight line from point A to point B
  • See the runners in front of you
  • If ball is in front of you, you can make decision
  • Ball behind you always look at coach
  • Always tag up on ball in air when on 3rd base with less than 2 outs
  • When to run on contact on ball in air
  • Pick up coach
  • Runner on third comes down line in foul territory
  • First to third
  • Second to home

Other

 

 

 

 

Leagues: Minors – Player Pitch

All items from previous leagues plus:

 

Mechanics / Physical

Tactics / Mental

 

Hitting

  • Stiff front leg
  • Follow through high
  • Arms extend after contact
  • Bunting
  • L-shape back leg
  • Bunting technique
  • Top hand up at contact
  • Count management
  • Use the whole field
  • Learn to hit first, hit for power later
  • Two-strike approach
  • Nothing wrong with bunting
  • Game situation
  • Situational hitting
  • Squeeze bunts
  • Bunt for hit
  • Sacrifice bunt

Fielding

  • Positioning of body
  • Running to catch ball
  • Coming in to catch ball
  • Going back to catch ball
  • Back hand
  • One hand vs. two hands
  • Soft hands
  • How to play a hop
  • How to get the hop you want
  • Circle ball to the right
  • How to dive; get up
  • Cutoffs and relays
  • Footwork on relay throws
  • Covering the base on a steal
  • How to make a tag
  • Getting into throwing position when catching a fly ball
  • Catchers
  • Soft hands
  • How to block ball in dirt
  • How to give signs
  • Throwing mechanics
  • Footwork necessary to throw
  • Communication
  • 1st & 3rd situations
  • How to handle rundown
  • Blocking the plate
  • Wild pitch play at plate
  • Pop-up positioning
  • Throws back to pitcher
  • Outfielders
  • Positioning: shallow vs. deep
  • Route to ball
  • How to field ground ball with nobody on base
  • How to field grounder with runners on base
  • How to come in on ball
  • How to go back on ball
  • How to pick up ball at wall
  • Hit the cutoff
  • Footwork on throws
  • Pop-up priorities
  • Communication
  • What base to throw to
  • Preparation before the pitch
  • Where to throw the ball
  • Bunt defenses
  • Pitchers covering first base
  • Pop-up priorities
  • Positioning
  • How to handle a rundown

 

Leagues: A-AA

(Continued)

All items from previous leagues plus:

 

Mechanics / Physical

Tactics / Mental

 

Throwing

  • Long toss
  • Front arm (glove hand)
  • Hips
  • Head position
  • Follow through
  • Good feet…good throw
  • Release point
  • When to throw overhand
  • When to throw underhand

Pitching

  • Warm up routine
  • How to stand on rubber
  • How to start delivery
  • Avoid wasted movement
  • Importance of balance
  • Getting into throwing position when catching a fly ball
  • How to build arm strength
  • Step and throw
  • Follow through
  • Fielding position

 

  • Controlling emotions
  • Use of fastball
  • Use of changeup
  • Location of pitches
  • See the target
  • Throw to the smallest point possible
  • Pitch selection
  • Pitch counts
  • Fielding responsibilities
  • Work quickly
  • Back up bases

Baserunning

  • Angle to first base to make a turn
  • Stay in lane when running to 1st base
  • Make a hard turn every time
  • Step on inside corner of base
  • Either foot is OK
  • Turns around 2nd and 3rd
  • Look to right for overthrow
  • Don’t turn back on ball when returning to base
  • How to tag up on fair ball
  • How to tag up on foul ball
  • 2 strikes and 2 outs
  • Ball in the dirt
  • Break up a double play
  • Secondary lead
  • When to take a chance on the bases and when not to take a chance
  • Think double out of box
  • When to advance to third on ground ball with less than 2 out
  • Stealing a base
  • Situational base running
  • How to handle being in a rundown
  • Anticipate vs. react
  • Throw back to pitcher

Other

  • Physical conditioning

 

  • Mental conditioning

 

League: Majors

All items from previous leagues plus:

 

Mechanics / Physical

Tactics / Mental

 

Hitting

  • Hips lead the hands
  • Kinetic links
  • Start from the feet up
  • Zoning
  • Hitting according to the count

Fielding

 

 

  • When to one-hand catch
  • When not to hit the cutoff man

Throwing

 

 

 

 

Pitching

  • Upper body rotates over front leg
  • Arm angle…arm slot
  • Fastball vs. curve vs. slider vs. change up
  • Recoil problems
  • Use of bottom half in delivery
  • When to break hands in delivery
  • Grip on curve ball
  • Grip on slider

 

 

Baserunning

 

 

  • Know the outfielders’ arms

 

Other

 

 

 

 

 

League: Juniors

All items from previous leagues plus:

 

Mechanics / Physical

Tactics / Mental

 

Hitting

 

 

 

 

Fielding

 

 

 

 

Throwing

 

 

 

 

Pitching

 

 

 

 

Baserunning

 

 

 

 

Other

 

 

 

 



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